Trump accused of election fraud after firing all members of election commission

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U.S. President Donald Trump is once again under fire after he fired the members of the independent Election Assistance Commission on Thursday.

The EAC is a federal commission that assists states in organizing elections.  According to Reuters, critics call the move an attack on the independence of the electoral system, while opponents say Trump is seeking to strengthen his grip on the ballot box ahead of the November midterms.

Derrick Johnson, president of the civil rights organization NAACP, accused Trump of trying to manipulate the elections out of fear of defeat. Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also called it a “brazen attempt” to seize control of the elections before a single vote has been cast. According to Schumer, Trump is undermining an agency that is specifically designed to ensure safe and reliable elections.

The decision sparked fierce political reactions because the Election Assistance Commission is traditionally regarded as a bipartisan and independent body. With the dismissal of its members, the commission has effectively been gutted. According to Reuters, two Democratic commissioners were notified of their dismissal via email, while the Republican commissioner resigned of his own accord.

“Fight the power grab!”

The timing makes the affair particularly sensitive. After all, Trump has long been exerting pressure on election rules and oversight of vote counting. Opponents fear he wants to weaken the institutions that oversee elections just as political stakes are rising ahead of 2026. Within the Democratic Party, resistance is already being promised. Schumer said that the Senate caucus will fight this “power grab” with all means at its disposal and emphasized that it is not Trump, but the American people who will determine the 2026 elections. The White House defends the dismissal as part of a broader effort to protect elections from fraud and abuse. But for many critics, the move fits into a pattern in which Trump is continually pushing the boundaries of presidential power.

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